Speaking of hard to believe, the Pats lost another Super Bowl to the Giants. Too sloppy.

The big news, of course, was Giselle. I was dumbfounded to hear people saying things like "Her job is to stand there and be pretty and she should shut up." Ok, so what was the jerk's job who set her off on her defense of her husband? Is he a professional asshole? News flash to anyone who thinks Giselle should have kept quiet...remember that next time you express an opinion on *anything*. You don't get to defend your family and you have no right to speak up about anything.

What are the odds that will take? Note to Giselle: you go girl. Say whatever you want about anything. Being a supermodel does not revoke your right to an opinion or to express your opinion, contrary to a boatload of loudmouthed morons who say otherwise. They miss the irony completely.

don't have TV, live roughly 10,000 miles from the nearest NBA arena, and yet I find myself caught up in the Jeremy Lin story even from here. so many great stories tied up there, with so much resonance for me particularly (long-time readers here will know this, of course). maybe I will explore some of these, if time and energy presents itself. but one thing that came to mind immediately was the probably decade-and-half old conversation/argument I had right here in this thread in the first few months after ichiro burst onto the scene. now, sports people with even half a brain know that there were many similar phenoms pre-Lin, and no one - in my mind - has ever been more significant than the enigmatic, lithe little outfielder who has quietly put up astonishing, unprecedented HoF numbers from day one in the Japan leagues, and then day one in MLB.

the phenomena are different. ichiro plays the game unlike other players, and is an astonishing physical and mental talent of a kind that shows up only once or twice a generation. one of the fastest guys in the game, one of the best and most accurate arms in the game, and (harder to measure) uncanny reflexes that give him an edge at the plate (over other batters). lin on the other hand plays just like all the other players, his success has come slightly more conventionally. but the parallels far outweigh these differences.

now, what I want to do here is gloat, because I called Ichiro - way back when, just months into his first season - a disruptive player who could well go down in history as one of the all time greats. and because I don't rest on my laurels, let me register this prediction right now (and we can come check it in the future): barring injury, jeremy lin is going to remain (statistically) one of the top 5 point guards in the league for at least a decade, and he will bring the NBA championship back to NYC. he might even make it happen this year itself.

I believe he was the last of the Roberto's and he is a sire who will be missed. His offspring could do just about anything - many went on to steeplechase racing. His best known son was Barbaro, but Dynaformer was also known as a top sire of broodmares.

The Bulldogs are going to UCLA and playing San Diego in the first round of the NCAA Championship. They're quite happy with the selection; San Diego is ranked ahead of Fresno, but they believe themselves to be the better team, and they've played a couple of matches on UCLA's courts earlier this year so they're happy about the courts.

Good betting! I had Gemologist, Union Rags and I'll Have Another all for an each way bet, and Went The Day Well and Daddy Nose Best for show bets. I took Dullahan off my short list at about noon, alas, along with Creative Cause. Had I actually bet real money, I would have made about $250.

Bodemeister was very impressive, setting such fast fractions and being there right to the end. Union Rags may have broken badly, but I thought he got a terrible ride. Am still wondering what happened to Gemologist and Take Charge Indy.

So, not only was Jerry Sandusky guilty, he was a known quantity for *years*. Shame on Penn State for letting the public face of the football program take precedence over the well-being of the kids Sandusky abused.

Congratulations to Andy Murray for winning his first Grand Slam event. It was a great match with Murray beating Novak Djokovic in fives long sets, becoming the first British man to win a Grand Slam singles championship since Fred Perry in 1936.